I don't know about the rest of you, but I had a terrible time sleeping last night. I can't begin to express my sympathy for Jean and her poor furries. I dropped some cash in the mail yesterday (I know, not the safest thing, but I figured she needed it quickly to purchase medical supplies). As I was laying awake last night, I thought of something else that might help. Several years ago I was president of a local club. We bought a bunch of fabric and made ferret sacks which could be worn with a strap like a purse or slipped onto your belt loop. They are deep enough that most ferrets just snuggle up in the bottom and don't jump out. They are also wonderful just for laying on the floor or in cages for bedding. They are printed fabric on the outside and various fuzzy-type fabrics on the inside. I have several of these already made up, and quite a few (probably at least 20) cut out ready to sew. I've been meaning to pass them on to some of my old ferret friends, but somehow I've never gotten around to it. Is there anyone out there who has the time to sew these sacks and sell them to raise some money for Jean? Or, if you are a shelter, split the profit between your shelter and her? If you have time to sew and/or market these please send email to [log in to unmask] They look something like this, with the "(" and ")" lines being open (where the belt/strap goes through/ferrets enter): ___ ) ( ) ( ) ( | | | | | | | | | | ----------------- I know we can't begin to put a monetary figure on Jean's loss, but maybe that would make some of the police/government types sit up and take notice. When a racehorse is involved the FBI even gets involved, I assume because of the money involved. By my calculations, given that a pet store ferret costs ~$130, the losses must be well over $10,000. And a breeding ferret must be worth more than a pet store ferret. Can anyone do a better job of estimating that figure? Again, I'm not trying to put a price tag on these precious lives, they are priceless, we all know that. I just wonder if it would make a good argument to bring some justice to the heartless individual that did this. - Nancy ----- Nancy L. Stephens [log in to unmask] Senior Systems Analyst TCIM Services, Inc. [Posted in FML issue 2145]